diff --git a/autoload/airline/extensions/syntastic.vim b/autoload/airline/extensions/syntastic.vim
index 1c91a8c9..7d8b7e6a 100644
--- a/autoload/airline/extensions/syntastic.vim
+++ b/autoload/airline/extensions/syntastic.vim
@@ -22,15 +22,15 @@ function! airline#extensions#syntastic#get(type)
   let _backup = get(g:, 'syntastic_stl_format', '')
   let is_err = (a:type  is# 'error')
   if is_err
-    let g:syntastic_stl_format = '%E{%e(L%fe)}'
+    let g:syntastic_stl_format = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#syntastic#stl_format_err', '%E{[%e(#%fe)]}')
   else
-    let g:syntastic_stl_format = '%W{%w(L%fw)}'
+    let g:syntastic_stl_format = get(g:, 'airline#extensions#syntastic#stl_format_warn', '%W{[%w(#%fw)]}')
   endif
   let cnt = SyntasticStatuslineFlag()
   if !empty(_backup)
     let g:syntastic_stl_format = _backup
   endif
-  if cnt == 0
+  if empty(cnt)
     return ''
   else
     return (is_err ? s:error_symbol : s:warning_symbol).cnt
diff --git a/doc/airline.txt b/doc/airline.txt
index 32fd4a98..a7291316 100644
--- a/doc/airline.txt
+++ b/doc/airline.txt
@@ -456,8 +456,14 @@ syntastic <https://github.com/vim-syntastic/syntastic>
 * syntastic error_symbol >
   let airline#extensions#syntastic#error_symbol = 'E:'
 <
+* syntastic statusline error format (see |syntastic_stl_format|) >
+  let airline#extensions#syntastic#stl_format_err = '%E{]%e(#%fe)]}'
+
 * syntastic warning >
   let airline#extensions#syntastic#warning_symbol = 'W:'
+< 
+* syntastic statusline warning format (see |syntastic_stl_format|) >
+  let airline#extensions#syntastic#stl_format_err = '%W{]%w(#%fw)]}'
 <
 -------------------------------------                       *airline-tagbar*
 tagbar <https://github.com/majutsushi/tagbar>